Release date not known
When We Were Missing by April Henry (Ottaviano) - release month announced on author website but not yet updated on Gooreads.
Christy
Ottaviano at Little, Brown/Ottaviano has acquired, in an exclusive
submission, two YA thrillers by April Henry. In Stay Dead, 16-year-old
Milan is determined to uncover the truth after her senator parents are
murdered. In When We Were Missing,
Willow finds a camera card filled with photos of teen girls—all with
fear on their faces. Publication is set for winter 2024 and winter 2025;
Wendy Schmalz at the Wendy Schmalz Agency sold world rights.
The Education of Kia Greer by Alanna Bennett (Knopf) - release month announced on author website but not yet updated on Goodreads.
Katherine Harrison at Knopf has won at auction The Education of Kia Greer by culture writer and screenwriter Alanna Bennett,
along with a second untitled YA novel. In this reverse Cinderella
story, the teenage daughter of a reality TV family grapples with growing
up in the public eye, fighting for the autonomy to make ordinary
teenage mistakes and chasing the secret thrill of first love under the
guise of a fake relationship. Publication is planned for spring 2025;
Julia Kardon at HG Literary sold north American and audio rights.
The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee (Inkyard Press) - not yet added to Goodreads, release month announced on Instagram.
Claire Stetzer while at Inkyard Press acquired Susan Lee's next YA rom-com, The Romance Rivalry.
When a college-age romance book reviewer decides to follow popular
romance tropes to find her own first love, a rival reviewer challenges
her to see who can find love-via-trope first—and may just prove why
enemies-to-lovers is the best of them all. Mabel Hsu at HarperCollins
will edit, for publication in summer 2025 and a second untitled YA in
fall 2026. Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary negotiated the deal for
world English rights.
Sound Check by Jennifer Fenn (Roaring Brook Press) - moved from April 2022, then from July 2023, then from July 2024.
Win is a remarkably
gifted percussionist. He's also profoundly deaf and plays the drums with
his shoes off so he can feel the music through the soles of his feet.
He has it all: he's in a band on the verge of breaking out, and he's
madly in love with Tristen, their lead singer. The only thing he could
ever want: to hear Tristen sing.
Sound Check is told in
alternating narratives. The A side - Win decides to get a cochlear
implant that will allow him to hear. The B side - Win and Tristen's love
story from the day they first met to the day Win heard Tristen for the
first time. And in the silence between the tracks? Heartbreak.
May 6th
If I Could Go Back by Briana Johnson (Peachtree Teen)
For Aaliyah Campbell, family is everything. Her cousin Ivy is her best friend and track co-star, and Grandpa Joe is her rock. He may be crotchety and dramatic, but he’s raised Aaliyah since she was a toddler. Still, Aaliyah can’t stop thinking about what’s missing—her parents.
When Aaliyah secretly contacts her mom, she risks upsetting the family who’s always been there. But Grandpa Joe refuses to explain why her parents gave her up, and without answers, Aaliyah cannot silence the anxious voice telling her she’s never been good enough.
Surprisingly, it isn’t Aaliyah’s mom, but her dad, Quincy, who steps up. Quincy turns out to be immature but surprisingly fun to hang out with. And when the rest of the family finds out they’re in contact, old secrets will finally be forced into the light.
Aaliyah Campbell is a champion for young Black girls coping with anxiety and depression, and a voice for all teens navigating the messy process of learning how to advocate for ones’ self. Through honest storytelling and a voice that oozes humor and heart, Briana Johnson’s memorable debut explores sensitive topics with authenticity and compassion.
All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow (G.P. Putnam and Sons)
River Santos is stuck—in her job at the diner, in her dead-end town, in her grief. Her father died in a house fire just a few months ago, her mother has been MIA for nearly a year, and the only people she can count on are the aunt she lives with and her best friend Tawny.
Things feel like they’re turning around when Logan—the hot guy at the diner who’s always ignored her—seems interested. It’s complicated by her ex-boyfriend Noah, who she really needs closure with, and the fact that Tawny doesn’t think either of them is good enough for River… but the tension between River and Logan can’t be denied.
But love takes a backseat when new information surfaces about the fire. After all these months trying to move forward, River is forced to rethink everything… including the idea that maybe it wasn’t an accident after all. But who would commit this deadly act? And why?
River isn’t sure who to trust or who to turn to, but she needs to figure it out, fast. Because someone has more than love on their mind. They want revenge.
It's You Every Time by Charlene Thomas (Scholastic) - previously titled Should Tomorrow Come, moved from June 2025.
In a twist of fate, Sydney Michaels bumps into cute boy stranger Marcus Burke in the heart of midtown NYC during an impromptu trip to Dunkin’. But what had initially been an effort to soften the blow of failing her impending pre-calc exam, turns into a day-long, unforgettable adventure—when Marcus asks her to have breakfast with him instead. In just a few hours, Sydney's already starting to fall, and there's just something about Marcus that makes it feel like she's known him forever.
As the night comes to an end, Sydney can’t believe that after all the loss she’s faced in the past two years, "the good part" is finally here and this perfect day gets to be hers—until an accident at the end of the night, quite literally, leaves her stuck in it.
Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray (Roaring Brook Press)
The very day Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it. A Rain Singer born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the empire, Blaze's birth summoned a devastating storm that left thousands dead. She's been hidden away ever since with a dark the same torrential power that branded her an outcast disappeared that fateful day. And she’s not sure she wants it back.
When an unexpected invitation arrives for Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, to compete as future rulers of the empire, she’s suddenly thrust into the limelight again -- and into battle. Threats abound at the Golden Palace, where intrigue and romance await with not one but two handsome the enchanting Crown Prince and a dangerously alluring newcomer at court.
As Blaze explores her untapped power, she discovers the throne may be within her grasp. But in order to take it, she’ll have to leave behind the stories that others have told about her, and find the courage to write her own.
You and Me on Repeat by Mary Shyne (Henry Holt) - YA graphic novel, previously titled Graduation Day, description not yet updated on Goodreads.
In
this swoony and hilarious debut rom-com graphic novel, two former
friends are trapped in a time loop together, repeating their high school
graduation day over and over and over—for fans of Laura Dean Keeps
Breaking Up With Me, Pumpkinheads, and Groundhog Day.
Chris
O’Brien has a genius plan: If he can share the perfect first kiss with
his crush, Andy, then of course he’ll break free from the time loop that
has him repeating graduation day over and over…and over.
Alicia
Ochoa thinks Chris’s plan is doomed. Valedictorian and a total nerd, she
knows it’ll take more than a kiss to escape the loop they’re trapped in
together. Besides, Chris may be a hopeless romantic, but Alicia doesn’t
think he has a real shot with Andy.
Once close friends, Alicia
and Chris have history—lots of it. As they got older, the pair fell out
after Chris ditched her for the “cool kids” and left her in the dust.
But when you’re looping side by side, you never know if friendship might
rekindle or what new feelings could spark along the way.
Shampoo Unicorn by Sawyer Lovett (Disney Hyperion) - official description not yet released.
The Thrashers by Julie Soto (Wednesday Books) - release date and description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Welcome to The Thrashers, the exclusive friend group of New Helvetia High. They are everything you want to be and everyone wants to be them.
Then there’s Jodi Dillion, the odd one out. The others—Julian, Lucy, Paige, and the infamous Zack Thrasher—are rich, sophisticated, and love being the center of attention; Jodi usually feels out of place. But Zack’s been her best friend since elementary school, so he says she’s in—and no one turns down the chance to be part of their group. Like Emily Mills. She wanted to be a Thrasher. More than anything.
But then Emily dies, and with her death, the whispers begin to circulate about The Thrashers—and what they do to people when they don’t want them around anymore. As a newfound journal of Emily’s comes to light, detectives begin to circle, and the media spirals out of control, putting Jodi in the impossible decision of turning on her friends, or protecting her own future.
Then a series of increasingly disturbing situations mount into a string of accidents that threaten the very lives of The Thrashers, and one thing becomes clear—Emily is not done with them yet.
A twisty thrill-ride of unforgettable drama and suspense that "encapsulates the vulnerability of adolescents playing adult games" (Ali Hazelwood) from USA Today bestselling author Julie Soto, The Thrashers will keep you up at night desperate to read just one more page.
Vesuvius by Cass Biehn (Peachtree Teen) - moved from August 2025.
Clever thief Felix slips from city to city to survive the present and escape a past he can’t remember. When Felix steals a mythical artifact—Mercury's helmet—from a temple in Pompeii, pieces of his forgotten past begin to surface.
Loren, an ambitious temple attendant, has seen Felix in his apocalyptic nightmares for years. The last thing Loren expects is for his dream to stumble headfirst through his temple doors, moments after an earthquake rocks the city.
When Felix shows Loren the helmet, Loren sees the world coming to an end. He knows they have mere days to uncover Felix’s ties to the relic and to Loren’s visions if they have any hope of saving the city. But Ancient Rome is ruled by bloody politics and unstoppable destinies, and now that Loren and Felix are intertwined, their lives aren’t all they risk losing. When all has turned to ash and rubble, the boys will have to piece together their fates to make it out of a burning city alive.
An exploration of ambition and class, autonomy and religion, survival and love.
Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks (Henry Holt)
Perfect
for fans of Karen McManus and The Hate U Give, this edge-of-your-seat
thriller from the critically-acclaimed author of Promise Boys follows
Cooper and Monique as they seek to exonerate Monique's brother in a
murder investigation and learn what they really mean to each other—all
while Cooper hides a shocking secret.
After an officer-involved
shooting claims the life of a Black kid, Cooper King is convinced to
attend a local march by Jason, the closest thing he has to a big
brother. But against Cooper's better judgment, they don’t protest—they
loot. Then, the unthinkable happens: gunshots ring in the air and
someone ends up dead. After Cooper flees the scene, footage shows up on
the news of four teens in ski masks near the scene of the murder—Cooper
and his friends. Just as Cooper fears he might get wrongfully charged, a
suspect is taken into custody: Jason.
Hiding the truth from
Monique, Jason's sister and Cooper's longtime crush, that he was among
the looters, Cooper and Monique set out to investigate what really
happened to clear Jason's name and find the true killer. If they fail,
Jason will get locked up for a crime he didn't commit—and possibly drag
Cooper along with him.
Murder Land by Carlyn Greenwald (Sourcebooks Fire)
Seventeen-year-old Billie feels like she is on top of the world. She gets to spend the summer with her best friend, sparks are flying with her crush, and she has received a promotion to ride operator for one of the most buzzworthy new attractions in the theme park she works at. But the first night on the new job takes a dark turn when her creepy coworker mysteriously dies…on her ride, when she isn't authorized to be running it.
At first, it seems like he died by heart attack, but by the time she returns to the body with help, it looks like a broken neck. Had she just imagined him sitting upright a few minutes ago? It's as if someone is trying to pin his death on her, and she has one night to figure out who is really responsible before she is blamed.
Billie recruits the help of her friends to sneak around the park after-hours and search for the truth. But as the night stretches on and more people wind up dead, Billie realizes she may not make it out of Murder Land alive. And her friends may know more than they're letting on.
The Enemy's Daughter by Melissa Poett (Quill Tree)
A
stunning reimagining of Tristan and Isolde set in a dystopian world
woven with magic. An incredibly addictive debut YA enemies-to-lovers
romantasy.
After civilsation crumbles, all that’s left of the
Republic is the five clans and their enemy, Kingsland. Isadora, daughter
of a clan leader, is a healer, desperate to bring back the medicine of
the old world to help her people. Tristan is the young assassin-prince
of Kingsland, determined to get revenge on the clans.
When
Isadora is shot with a poisoned arrow, only Tristan can save her, in a
magical ceremony that will bind them together for ever. As she recovers
in enemy territory, she begins to question the truth of their violent
history. Kingsland is everything she's ever wanted – including Tristan –
but as the clans bay for blood, one side is setting a trap, and Isadora
must decide which truth to believe.
Stuck Up and Stupid by Kate Rice and Angourie Rice (Candlewick Press)
Carter
Hasegawa at Candlewick Press has acquired Stuck Up and Stupid, a debut
YA romance from mother-and-daughter team Kate Rice and actor Angourie
Rice, a Pride and Prejudice
retelling for the modern age that follows Australian teens whose
sun-kissed lives are rocked when a party of young Hollywood stars and
influencers arrives for the summer. Publication is scheduled for spring
2025; Benython Oldfield at Zeitgeist Agency sold world rights, with
Walker Books Australia and Walker Books UK publishing in their
territories.
The Glittering Edge by Alyssa Villaire (Little, Brown)
Ruqayyah Daud at Little, Brown has acquired, at auction, debut author Alyssa Villaire's YA fantasy novel The Glittering Edge
and a sequel, about a teenage girl in small-town Indiana who is tossed
into a decades-long magical feud between two families in order to save
her mother's life—a quest that will involve witch covens, first love,
and a secret that will change her town forever. Publication of the first
book is slated for summer 2025; Peter Knapp and Stuti Telidevara at
Park & Fine Literary and Media sold North American rights.
Sometimes the Girl by Jennifer Mason-Black (Lerner/Carolrhoda)
Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought, in an exclusive submission, Jennifer Mason-Black's YA novel Sometimes the Girl.
When 18-year-old Holiday gets a summer job cleaning out a famous
author's attic, she struggles to understand why the woman never wrote
another novel—and discovers how art and life entwine. Publication is
planned for spring 2025; Alice Speilburg at Speilburg Literary Agency
sold world rights.
I Can't Even Think Straight by Dean Atta (Quill Tree)
May 13th
The Floating World by Axie Oh (Feiwel and Friends) - moved from 2024.
Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of gold for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.
Meanwhile, far to the west, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat living in an idyllic mountain village with her adoptive family. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to save her foster father's life, or to save her adoptive uncle from being grievously wounded.
Determined to save her uncle from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn't realize she's the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined...
The Singular Life by Aria Patel by Samira Ahmed (Little, Brown)
Aria Patel likes stability, certainty, predictability. It’s why she’s so into science. It's why she dumped her boyfriend before they went to different colleges because the odds were that something would go wrong, eventually. In a life that’s already so chaotic, why obsess over complicated relationships and shadowy unknowns when the scientific method gives you direction and a straight path to avoid all the drama.
But there’s no avoiding anything when Aria finds herself suddenly falling through parallel universes and there’s no formula that can save her. She can’t explain why she’s been waking up in a new reality almost every day, or why Rohan, and a poem from her English class, seem to be following her through every new life.
As Aria desperately attempts to find a way home, she eventually ends up stuck in a parallel world very similar to her own. She cherishes this new version of her family, and she finds herself unable to deny the yearning she has for Rohan…but it’s not her life or her Rohan. It belongs to another Aria, another girl, and unless Aria can get back home, she’ll have taken this happiness away from someone else forever. And she may never find her own.
One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller (Levine Querido)
Grace Woodhouse has left a lot behind.
She used to have a great friend group, an amazing girlfriend, and a right foot set to earn her a Division I football scholarship—before she came out as trans. As senior year begins, Grace is struggling to find her place in early transition, new social circles, and a life without football. But when her skills as the best kicker in the state prove to be vital, her old teammates beg her to come out of retirement, dragging her back into a sport—into a way of life—she thought had turned its back on her forever.
When a chance meeting cracks the door to college football back open, she has to decide how much of herself she's willing to give up for the game she loves.
Out of Air by Rachel Reiss (Wednesday Books) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Phoebe “Phibs” Reyes is never more at home than when she’s underwater. On a dive six months ago, she and her four closest friends discovered a handful of ancient gold coins, rocketing them into social media fame. Now, their final summer together after high school, they’re taking one last trip to a distant Australian island to do what they love most – scuba dive.
While diving a local reef, Phibs discovers a spectacular underwater sea cave, rumored to be a lost cave with a buried treasure. But when Phibs and her best friend Gabe surface from the cave, they notice that they're undergoing strange changes. Oozing gashes that don’t heal. Haunting whispers in their heads... Something has latched onto them, lurking beneath their skin, transforming them from the inside out.
When treasure hunters arrive, desperate to find the location of the cave and hold Phibs’ group for ransom, she’ll do anything to keep her friends safe. In the process she learns that, of all the dreadful creatures of the sea, she might be the most terrifying of them all.
Eliza, from Scratch by Sophia Lee (Quill Tree Books)
Jennifer Ung at Quill Tree has acquired, at auction, debut author Sophia Lee's YA rom-com Eliza, from Scratch, in which an overachieving high school senior finds herself enrolled in a culinary arts class, where she meets an irritating but charming rival and uses her late grandmother's recipes to discover big truths about love, grief, family, and herself. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management brokered the two-book deal for North American rights.
Home Has No Borders by Various YA Authors (HarperTeen)
Megan Ilnitzki at HarperTeen has acquired Home Has No Borders, a YA anthology of contemporary short stories by South Asian and diaspora authors that grapple with themes of home and belonging, edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra, with stories from S.K. Ali, Fatimah Asghar, Tashie Bhuiyan, Tanya Boteju, Tanuja Desai Hidier, Veera Hiranandani, Rajani LaRocca, Sheba Karim, Jasmin Kaur, Anuradha D. Rajurkar, Nisha Sharma, Nikesh Shukla, Navdeep Singh Dhillon, and an author from an open call for submissions. Publication is set for winter 2025; Joanna Volpe and Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media brokered the deal for world rights.
Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand (HarperCollins) - YA graphic novel, moved from June 2024, then from October 2024 and from May 6th.
Clarissa Wong, while at HarperCollins, bought world rights to Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand, illustrated by Tara Anand; Megan Ilnitzki will edit. Pitched as Never Have I Ever meets Spinning, this YA graphic novel follows Nitasha as she navigates pressure and expectations from her traditional South Asian family, the challenges of high school—and her mental health. Publication is set for winter 2024, Chad W. Beckerman at the CAT Agency represented the author and the illustrator.
When Love Gives You Lemons by Steven Salvatore (Bloomsbury) - previously titled Lemon at First Sight.
Author of AND THEY LIVED Steven Salvatore's LEMON AT FIRST SIGHT, a romance pitched as loosely inspired by My Best Friend's Wedding with a gay twist, about a budding TikTok food blogger who schemes to win back the love of his life at a family wedding in an Italian lemon grove on the Amalfi Coast, to Camille Kellogg at Bloomsbury Children's, by Jessica Regel at Helm Literary (world English).
Lady's Knight by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (HarperCollins)
May 20th
Out of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch (FSG)
You can’t outrun love.
Taylor and Marianna were each other’s whole world – best friends, running partners, practically sisters – until Marianna moved away and Taylor promptly ghosted her. When the former best friends turned rivals end up on the same cross-country team three years later, everything is a competition… and a reminder of past feelings, as well as blossoming new ones.
Marianna runs because she’s angry.The oldest child of a single mother, she knows all about responsibility – for her siblings, at her part-time job. She just has to stay focused and be faster than the past nipping at her heels if she wants to secure a new, brighter future. With or without Taylor.
Taylor runs to prove herself. The only child of an almost-Olympian, she’s no stranger to high expectations. With enough effort, she knows she can immortalize herself with a state record and make her parents proud. Then, she can figure out her own passion. Shedefinitely doesn’t have time to untangle her feelings towards Mari.
Can this pair figure out a way to work together before their past catches up with them?
Time After Time by Mikki Daughtry (G.P. Putnam and Sons) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Nineteen-year-old Libby has always been inexplicably drawn to the old Victorian house on Mulberry Lane. So much so that when she sees a For Sale sign go up in the front yard, Libby uses all the money her grandmother left her to pay for college to buy the house instead, determined to fix it up herself—even though she knows her parents will be furious. Soon after moving in, she discovers a journal written by a young woman, Elizabeth Post, who lived in the house nearly a century earlier. It doesn’t take long for the journal to reveal that Elizabeth was madly in love with her personal maid, Patricia. A love that was forbidden and dangerous, especially at that time.
Enter Tish, a brash, broke fellow college student, who passes by the house one day and is mysteriously compelled to knock on the door. Soon Libby offers Tish a room in exchange for her help in fixing up the old house, and the two young women quickly find themselves falling for each other. But as Elizabeth’s journal entries delve deeper into her secret love affair with Patricia, uncanny similarities between that young couple and Libby and Tish are revealed, and it becomes clear that this may not be their first time in this house, or in this love. Is this their chance to get it right?
Everyone Sux But You by Kelsey Wroten (Henry Holt) - YA graphic novel.
Just Another Meet Cute by Jenn P. Nguyen (Scholastic)
Boy saves girl stuck on a disastrous hike. What could go wrong? So. Much.
Just Another Meet Cute is the joyful and funny story about what happens when you realize you're dating the wrong twin.
When seventeen-year old Nina Riley gets saved by a super cute Knight-in-Faded-Khakis just as she lands in an embarrassingly 'ahem' sticky situation during the most disastrous hike known to man, she wasn't exactly looking for that meet cute. She really just needed some peace and quiet from her complicated family. Unfortunately, he disappears before she can properly thank him or get his number. All she has is his name (Ian Nguyen) and a navy jacket with a dog keychain, a gym card, and laundromat receipt. But a meet cute is a meet cute. And armed with years of watching Veronica Mars and a techy cousin, it should be simple enough for Nina to find the boy of her dreams, right? But when she finally tracks him down, he's different than she thought - right down to his name.
Ryan is just as cute as she remembers, but the chemistry isn't there like it was before. After a few dates, she meets Ryan's his sweet grandma, his enthusiastic sisters, and his twin brother-Ian.
And the Trees Stare Back by Gigi Griffis (Holiday House)
Nobody who gets lost in the cursed forest at the edge of Vik’s remote Estonian Village ever comes back. Until Vik’s sister stumbles through the tree line five years after vanishing… without having aged a day.
1989, Soviet Estonia. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe—but in sixteen-year-old Vik’s isolated Estonian village, eyes are everywhere. Soldiers threaten those who so much as dream of dissent. The villagers’ words are sharp with accusations of witchcraft. And within the cursed forest lurks Soovana, the bog spirit with lantern eyes that lure villagers beyond where anyone can reach them. Five years ago, he took Vik’s sister Anna—and Vik has felt cursed herself every day since.
So when Anna finally returns, it’s a miracle. A miracle… or a lie. Worn down by years of grappling with shame, guilt, and PTSD, Vik has wanted nothing more than to hold her younger sister once again—but as unsettling inconsistencies between the girl who left and the one who’s come back reveal themselves, it’s clear that no one’s out of the woods.
Maybe this girl is Anna… and maybe she isn’t. Either way, she was never meant to leave the trees—and unless Vik can uncover the secrets of the forest, it’s going to take her back.
Rooted in real history with a speculative twist, the horrors of And The Trees Stare Back are the ones we already know: existing as a marginalized person under a hostile state. Raising powerful questions about whose humanity counts and how to survive if the governing body decides that yours doesn’t, this politically incisive YA folk horror irresistibly melds unexplored history with hot-button themes, gorgeous prose, and authentic depictions of OCD and PTSD.
Salvación by Sandra Proudman (Wednesday Books) - moved from 2024, description not yet updated on Goodreads.
In this Latinx YA fantasy inspired by El Zorro, Lola De La Peña becomes the masked heroine Salvación in order to save her family and town from a man who would destroy it for the magic that sustains it...if she doesn't fall in love with his son first.
Lola de La Peña yearns to be free from the societal expectations of a young Mexican lady of her station. She spends her days pretending to be delicate and proper while watching her mamá cure the sick and injured with sal negra (black salt), a recently discovered magic that heals even the most mortal of sicknesses and wounds. But by night, she is Salvación, the free-spirit lady vigilante protecting the town of Coloma from those who threaten its peace and safety among the rising tension in Alta California after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
But one night, a woman races into Coloma, barely alive, to tell the horrifying tale of how her town was obliterated by sal roja, a potent, deadly magic capable of obliterating anything it comes into contact with and the man who wields it: Damien Hernández. And when Hernández arrives the next day with a party of fifty strong and promises of returning Alta California to México, Lola knows it’s only a matter of time before he brings the region under his rule—all Hernández needs is the next full moon and the stolen, ancient amulet he carries to mine enough sal roja to conquer the land.
Determined to protect everything she loves, Lola races against time as Salvación to stop his plans. What she didn’t count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernández but doesn't seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernández getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans, even teaming up with Alejandro—who she doesn’t fully trust, but can’t help but fall in love with.
Don't Let Me Go by Kevin Christopher Snipes (HarperCollins)
From acclaimed author Kevin Christopher Snipes comes a moving romance about two star-crossed boys trapped in a millennium-spanning cycle of reincarnation whose only hope of escape may be a price that neither is willing to pay. Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Eliot Shrefer!
Out and proud, Riley Iverson knows there’s nothing more cringe than crushing on a straight boy. But from the moment that the handsome, sporty, and painfully heterosexual Jackson Haines walks into his life, Riley can’t help but feel an instant and undeniable connection. Mainly because, as impossible as it seems, Jackson is the spitting image of the boy who’s recently appeared in Riley’s dreams—dreams set in another time and another place where he and Jackson were desperately in love.
At first Riley tries to dismiss the coincidence as a product of his hormone-fueled, overactive imagination, but as his friendship with Jackson deepens into something more, the dreams prove harder to ignore. Especially when Jackson begins having them too. Plunged into increasingly vivid visions of the past, the boys find themselves in various eras scattered throughout history. No matter where or when their dreams take them, though, two things remain Riley and Jackson are always together, and they always die at the end.
As it becomes increasingly difficult to view their dreams as anything but warnings, the boys are forced to consider the possibility that their burgeoning relationship might be propelling them headfirst into their own tragic ending. But is it worth staying apart to save their lives if the price is forsaking a love that has defied not only time and space but even death itself?
The Little Mosque in my Heart by Ahmad Saber (Atheneum) - moved from April 2025.
An
intensely brave, gorgeously written story about a gay Muslim teen who
has to choose between being true to himself or his faith—and his
realization that maybe they aren’t as separate as he thought.
Now
a senior at the top-ranked high school for Muslim teenagers, Pakistani
Canadian Ramin can’t wait for the fresh start of college. He’s spent his
whole life following the word of Allah, his parents, and his imam. His
parents immigrated from Pakistan, sacrificing everything for him and his
little brother, and expect Ramin to be halal in all things, meet a nice
Muslim girl, and settle into devout family life. However, Ramin’s heart
wishes for something—or someone— the strong, athletic captain of the
soccer team. But at school, being gay is definitely haram, not allowed,
so Ramin limits himself to dreams of moving away to New York City.
Then
Ramin learns his graduation is in jeopardy, and the only chance he’s
given to get the needed physical education credits quickly is to join
the school’s soccer team…and train one-on-one with Fahad, a.k.a. Captain
Handsome. It’s a nightmare of temptation and resistance, compounded by
threats from a longtime bully who is blackmailing Ramin, threatening to
reveal a secret that could ruin him. Ramin’s only ray of light is Omar, a
sweet and caring new friend whose family believes in a different,
kinder Allah. He gently prods Ramin to consider his faith more deeply,
challenging Ramin’s long held belief of Allah as merciless and
unforgiving by introducing him to one who is instead merciful and
loving.
With graduation, a championship soccer match, and the
blackmail looming, the pressure on Ramin is too much to keep buried. He
must decide between the consequences of speaking his truth and living a
lie. He must decide which Allah lives in the little mosque in his heart.
In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill (Quill Tree Books)
Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins/Quill Tree has bought In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill (Always the Almost),
a YA contemporary rom-com about two trans boys who share an epic missed
connection while moving cross-country with their families in opposite
directions, then enlist the help of their friends and the online queer
community to find each other again. Publication is planned for summer
2025; Patricia Nelson at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency sold world English
rights.
Tall Water by S.J. Sindu and Dion MBD (HarperAlley) - YA graphic novel.
May 27th
Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler (Wednesday Books) - previously titled My Name Is Everett, moved from 2024.
Hot on the heels of a broken heart, Everett “Evie” Riley arrives at Camden Academy ready for a new beginning - one far away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, the sister who stole him, and the best friend who let it happen. But her fresh start is stopped in its tracks when she's accidentally placed in an all-boys dorm, with no choice but to stay.
When rumors and gossip about Evie's housing predicament spread like wildfire, she decides the only way to survive is to lean into her questionable new reputation... but she's definitely going to require help. Her grumpy emo dorm mate Salem Grayson isn't exactly her first choice, but he does need her help to repair his relationship with his parents every bit as much as she needs his to learn how to be cool. And so they make a pact - he'll teach her how to be bad, if she teaches him how to be good.
It's a flawless plan, except while Salem thrives academically, even romantically, and - annoyingly enough - even physically, Evie's quest feels like one dead end after another, and the girl she's becoming certainly doesn't feel remotely cool. But when Evie realizes what she wants more than anything, she'll have to contend with her thrice-broken heart and figure out how to become someone capable of chasing happiness.
Dahlia Adler’s Come As You Are is about refusing to accept less than you deserve, and realizing that the best relationships are with people who know exactly who you are.
The Whisperwood Legacy by Jo Schulte (Little, Brown)
Welcome to Whisperwood, a sprawling theme park nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where thrilling rides and picture-perfect scenery bring cult-classic fairy tales to life. Or at least they did until eighteen months ago, when the family matriarch, Virginia Strauss, suddenly shut Whisperwood’s gates and the beloved park was left to wither away along with the family’s dwindling fortune.
For seventeen-year-old Frankie Strauss, Whisperwood's closure has been a blessing in disguise. After seeing three generations of wealth’s corrupting influence, she is more than ready to shed the Strauss-family's gilded handcuffs.
But when Virginia goes missing, Frankie realizes that her family might be guilty of something much worse than mere dysfunction. With the help of the mysterious and handsome groundskeeper, Jem, Frankie sifts through a web of near truths and outright lies, uncovering a reality where nothing is as it seems and fairy tales aren’t just real—they’re deadly.
And They Were Roommates by Page Powars (Roaring Brook Press) - moved from 2024, changed publisher from Delacorte to Roaring Brook Press.
A
hilarious, unputdownable second-chance-romance about the most unlikely,
gay roommate mishap. Perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Gwen &
Art Are Not in Love.
Romance is the last thing on Charlie’s mind.
On
his first day at Valentine Academy for Boys, Charlie’s carefully
crafted plan to hide his identity as the school’s only trans student is
set in motion. Only to be immediately destroyed. Charlie has been
assigned the worst roommate in the world (possibly the universe): Jasper
Grimes, the boy who broke Charlie’s heart the year before he
transitioned.
Except, Jasper doesn’t recognize Charlie.
Who
knows how long until Jasper realizes the truth? Charlie has one shot at
freedom and a dorm room all to himself, but only if he helps Jasper
write love letters on behalf of their fellow students first. No problem.
Charlie can help Jasper with some silly letters.
Long nights spent discussing deep romantic feelings with Jasper? Surely, no unintended consequences will arise…
Titan of the Stars by E.K. Johnston (Tundra Books)
Titanic meets Aliens in this tense YA science fiction horror series by #1 New York Times bestselling author E.K. Johnston.
Celeste knows every inch of this ship. She's proud of her work as apprentice engineer. And as the maiden voyage of the Titan launches, she's optimistic for the promises of this new journey from Earth to Mars — this new life.
Dominic arrives at his suite where his valet is busy unpacking his things. His chest is tight, already feeling anxious inside his dad's precious new ship. Once it launches, he's trapped, inside the ship and inside the life his father has chosen for him — a life that will leave his dreams of art school behind.
Discovered under melted ice caps, ancient aliens have been brought onto the Titan as well, and stored in display cases for the entertainment of the passengers... until an act of sabotage releases them into the ship, with zero discrimination for class, decks or human life...
All-Nighter by Cecilia Vinesse (Quill Tree Books)
Untitled by Becky Albertalli (HarperCollins)
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